Ӱ Film Archives preserves rare 1930s films
Aug. 14, 2026
The recently completed the preservation of two rare motion picture films documenting life in the Inupiat community of Wales (Kingigin) during the 1930s.
Using the 90-year-old original films, professional film laboratories created new film elements as well as digital copies, ensuring that this important history will be available to future generations.
“Eskimo Harvest” and a companion reel of outtakes were filmed by William Albee and Ruth Albee while they lived as schoolteachers in Wales. The films provide a remarkable visual record of daily life, subsistence activities and ocean travel during a period of rapid change in northwestern Ӱ.
The original black-and-white, silent 16mm films were donated to the archives by the Albee family in 2024. Preservation was completed with support from the .
Students, researchers and the public can learn more about the films through the created by staff at the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library. The , part of the library’s Ӱ and Polar Regions Collections and Archives, is also reaching out to regional Ӱ Native organizations to share copies of the preserved films and seek guidance on culturally appropriate access and presentation.